Today I visited the workplace of a fellow volunteer named Kalala. He works with the University of West Indies’s Mona School of Business. The scope of his work is broad, but it entails connecting the substantial Jamaican diaspora back with local projects and communities. This post will not do justice to both the project and Kalala’s background and experience (he has worked in Rwanda, Congo and South Africa, to name a few places and he has a Masters’ degree in human security). I am writing a longer article for Cuso’s newsletter, which I will post eventually when it is done. But today was a perfect time for me to visit, as there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony being held to commemorate the donation of school supplies and a stove. Funds for these supplies were raised by the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, headed by Dr. Neville Young and many others, including Dr. Olivene Burke and an anthropology student named Michael James. (Michael’s work is fascinating as it focusses on violence. He patiently answered all my questions about the nature of conflict in Jamaica, which tends to revolve around familial  and political conflicts). 

The community in question that we visited is called August Town. In recent months, it has been the scene of several fatal shootings. Michael explained that they stemmed from family conflicts and escalated. It has calmed down, but as we spoke, a camouflage jeep carrying four soldiers with rifles drove by. They were patrolling. 

It was a lovely ceremony. First, I got to observe the children in a lesson. They were aged three to five and needless to say, they are lovely. They were learning about the concept of how they relate to one another. For example, some of them have long names, some of them have short names. So they were using play-doh to make long and short shapes. Then, the ceremony took place. It was a clear illustration of the progress that comes of collaboration and communication. There were representatives from the community, a woman’s group, the school association, the University of West Indies (which overlooks August Town) and a couple of reverends.

The school we visited, called Goldsmith Villa Basic School, houses just about two dozen children. It does not qualify for government funds as it does not have enough children enrolled to collect a sufficient amount of school fees. I’m not clear on the Ministry of Education scheme that dictates funding. Suffice it to say, this school is operating on the basics. Indeed, the principal and teacher’s salaries are subsidized by a church group. The woman who makes the children’s lunches volunteers and it is sweltering as there are no fans. There is no place to play and the lone swing set does not work. The children, though, seemed content and well-behaved.

The Jamaica Diaspora Initiative has already funded 55 schools in a similar situation. And today the Goldsmith Basic School received a new stove, school supplies and a fan. The children performed for everyone, which is the video posted above. Please watch and there are plenty more pictures below. 

The past few days have been busy. We are deep in talks to try to get some bridge financing for YOU. We had a board meeting yesterday that was productive and useful. But as it stands, YOU’s activities will be reduced to the bare bones come Monday. We are doing what we can to get the word out, meet with as many people as possible and brainstorm ideas. The story about YOU’s financial difficulties is creating some complications, since the headline was misleading. It leads people to believe we will definitely be closing. This is not the case. We will be operating with a few staff, keeping the doors open and doing what we can to resume activities as normal down the road. We considered asking the newspaper for a correction or clarification but decided against it. In the end, people feel the story served to illuminate our plight and draw attention to our cause. Indeed, we have had calls from all over. At the board meeting yesterday, our founder Betty Ann Blaine prayed for us. Hopefully, these prayers will work.

This video was shot recently in JA. I have no comment on the song itself, it’s fine, but the video is just a good, accurate portrayal of some aspects of the sights you see in urban Jamaica.

On Friday a bunch of us went to see Da Wedding Scamma. If I were to write a review, I would fail miserably. That is because while I was thoroughly entertained, I could not understand a lot of it. The patois was extremely fast and it was LOUD, so it was difficult to follow the dialogue. However, one could ascertain the basic plot, which was about a young man who was scamming a couple about to get married. Shenanigans, hijinks and misunderstandings ensue. The audience went crazy, especially for Shebada, otherwise known as Keith Ramsay, a roots actor who has starred in many plays and some controversies. Shebada is infamous for his provocative act- he is sort of a modern-day gadfly who prods Jamaican society to examine its attitudes towards sexuality and gender. Indeed, Shebada states ‘mi deh pon the border line’. In person, in the play, he was riveting. Every movement is interesting and he has the most expressive face. He also broke character many times (all the actors did) to engage with the audience. The audience was also almost as entertaining as the play. In terms of enthusiasm and interaction, they must put any other audience to shame across the world. People were literally screaming, yelling, slapping the wall and the chairs, punching the air and their neighbours, falling on the floor, pushing their neighbour off their chair and heckling the characters the entire time. It was awesome. 

Last night, a bunch of us went to dinner at a restaurant hidden behind an industrial yard. While this is not remarkable, I’m writing about it because we were among just a few brave souls who ventured out into the weather. The Jamaica Meteorological Office had issued a Tropical Storm Warning, and as a result, a whole bunch of events were cancelled. The rain fell late in the day. And it was heavy. So was the thunder and lightning, which kept illuminating the entire sky to reveal a deep purple colour. While we were eating, we had to move as the rain snuck past the tarps overhead. The live band prevailed, though, and they played some lovely jazzy reggae-style songs. It was a gorgeous night listening to both this music and the heavy rain with good friends and food. The storm kept up most of the night- torrential rains and thunder so loud I was convinced there was an explosion somewhere. But I woke up this morning and all was well and I was even able to run. 

This is Jomo Hunter. He is 28. He talks here about the impact Youth Opportunities has had on his life. He says he has kept out of trouble lately and that he hasn’t been in jail for awhile now, but let him tell you. Take a listen.

A few years back, dancehall artist Kiprich had a big hit with Telephone Ting. It is an anthem about the crimp technology puts in one’s life as one tries to juggle the different  ladies in the yard and on the road. It “mash up his life”, as he said. As a student of politics and someone who is fascinated with how high-minded politics and culture translate into our daily lives and are reflected in pop culture, I find this song to be a window both on our technological love affair and an aspect of Jamaican culture. It is impossible to make a blanket statement as to the general Jamaican approach to monogamy, but this song is indicative of one at least one of the attitudes about monogamy here. So Kiprich (who was one of my favourite performers at Sumfest) has updated Telephone Ting with this new song about how Facebook is mashing up his life. The other day, I had confirmation of this intersection of technology and culture during a discussion with one of the fellows I chat with regularly as I make my way about Kingston. Dawin was telling me that he is having trouble with his lady. She lives abroad, in a major American city, and they are having problems- she has accused him of cheating based on information on his Facebook page. He’s hoping she’ll come around, but in the meantime, he is thinking about deleting his Facebook account. Cause, in his words, “it mash up mi life.” I asked him if he had heard of the Kiprich song, and he said no. Check out the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZjkxUnSLC0)

Sumfest is a reggae festival that was launched almost 20 years ago. It has achieved international acclaim and now attracts thousands of people from all over the world. It will happen this weekend in Montego Bay. Dancehall artist Shabba Ranks will perform, and he arrived in Jamaica yesterday. He took a tour of his old neighbourhood, Olympic Gardens. This year, in addition to dozens of Jamaican reggae artists, R. Kelly and Trey Songz will perform. I have been lucky enough to score a media pass, so expect lots of pictures next week. And for now, enjoy a classic Shabba chune.

Dance crew performing- check out more pictures and my post about the Youth Leaders Concert below!

In February, 2011, I packed up my life in Boston and moved back to Ottawa. During my two-and-a-half years in Boston, I did this drive on the Mass Turnpike too many times to count. It is usually a smooth trip and surprisingly not busy, except for the dozens of imposing tractor trailers. The only trouble spot is around Syracuse, where apparently there is a lake-effect. Whatever the effect is, it is horrific if there is any form of precipitation. So why am I writing about weather conditions on an Interstate highway in the US? Because last year, as I was making the final drive home from my beloved Boston, I hit a massive snowstorm. So massive that it was whiteout conditions with zero visibility. I was driving a van with pretty good traction but I have never been so scared driving in my life. With my heart pounding the entire time, I navigated the road in pitch black conditions, alone in the car and with only a couple other drivers around me. I made it through the storm safely and one of the things that calmed me down enough to concentrate was this song. I played it over and over as it soothed my nerves and reminded me of good, warm times. Now I find out that this artist will be performing at a concert YOU is hosting on June 16.

This happened last night as people tried to get in to see the Harlem Dance Theatre. It speaks for itself. Thanks for video, Tim!

This video is from today’s Youth Experience show. It is of a young man doing the newest dancehall move called the “wounded dog.” The crowd went wild. But here’s more about this Labour Day exposition in Hampstead Park.

Today Youth Opportunities Unlimited hosted an event in this inner-city community that is healing after a few rough years of high crime rates. It was wonderful. It seemed most of the community emerged from their homes for the day, despite a heavy rainfall in the early afternoon. There were musical, drama and poetry performances all from a talented group of youth who are dedicated to being positive role models in the community. There was also all sorts of food: jerk chicken, curry chicken, brown stew chicken, vegetables and rice and peas. While there were many highlights, it seemed everybody loved a surprise appearance from Specialist, a young dancehall artist who is coming up after coming in second on a reality-TV contest. He arrived as dusk fell, in white sunglasses and Adidas shoes, skinny jeans and a huge entourage. They handed out posters and CDs and then Specialist put on an energetic show. He was followed by another artiste called Nature. And then the show was over. But not really. Jamaicans really know how to throw a party. Everybody was in a good mood and as the crowd dispersed, some kids started doing some dancehall moves, almost perfectly in synch. 

A lone police officer stopped in for a few minutes, apparently decided he was not needed, and left after chatting with a few people. In addition to all the performances, there were informational booths with representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Consumer Protection Agency. Somehow, I ended up with a little girl’s toothbrush, which were handed out free from the Ministry of Health. By all accounts, the community enjoyed themselves immensely and it well on its way to better days. I would vouch for that- I saw only smiles today and no conflicts- okay, maybe some skirmishes between some of the little kids, but that’s it. I was talking to someone familiar with the work YOU is doing in this community, and apparently, the organization has made some major inroads and encouraged positive change in Hampstead Park. Where they are also skilled at Wounded Dog.